


Nightly visit

by justAleks



Category: Naruto
Genre: Bickering, Dialogue Heavy, Domestic, Gen, Iruka is amused, Kakashi is beating around the bush, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:41:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29765301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justAleks/pseuds/justAleks
Summary: Kakashi doesn't know how to get along with the newly formed team seven, so he decides to ask their former teacher. Cue nightly visits, kitchen talks, jōnin roaming the house and amused chūnin.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Umino Iruka, Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka
Comments: 7
Kudos: 107





	Nightly visit

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Nocna wizyta](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29765136) by [justAleks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/justAleks/pseuds/justAleks). 



> I just want to get back to writing, so it's nothing groundbreaking ... unfortunately.

“No matter what you want to ask, my answer is no.” Iruka did not even look up from the homework he was correcting. The shadow that perched on the sill of his window sighed but made no attempt to enter uninvited. The man felt satisfaction warm his soul. Kakashi may be a well-known jōnin, but Iruka knew enough about protective seals and, most importantly, annoying traps to instill caution in anybody. After all, he had years of experience in setting up traps that would not kill but effectively teach his charges that "do not to enter" means " do _not_ to enter." 

No matter if it was an academy student or jōnin, no one was going to willingly step twice into a trap that sealed your clothes away and made you parade back home in only your pants or one that confused your senses and send you into the trip of your life. Genjutsu does not have to cause a life-long trauma to teach a lesson.

“Even if I merely ask to come in? Will you really let me wait like that, _outside_ the window? It’s starting to rain…” Kakashi sounded like Iruka hurt his feelings. Umino rolled his eyes but stopped reading an exceptionally creative, but factually wrong answer.

“The roof protrudes so much beyond the walls of the building that light rain will not even make you damp.” Iruka finally looked behind him and narrowed his eyes to see the outline of Kakashi's silhouette against the black sky. He didn't even notice when it got so dark.

“What time is it?”

Kakashi flailed his arms and put them up in defense.

“It's not too late to visit, since I can see that you are not only awake but deep in work!”.

“Don’t be a smartass, I’m just asking. What time is it?” Iruka stopped staring at the shadows and looked at the clock hanging on the wall. “Kakashi, tell me what normal person comes for a visit at 11 pm?” Umino fixed his doubt-filled stare on the shadows outside the window. Kakashi didn't answer for a long moment.

“Your children are probably planning a murder, and their victim is supposed to be me.”

“Suddenly they're mine again?”

“... My children are probably planning a murder with me filling the role of the deadman”

“And?” Iruka raised an eyebrow but finally moved towards the window. After the seal was deactivated, Kakashi slipped inside and immediately headed for the kitchen. For a moment, Iruka considered throwing him out the door but eventually decided that he could at least finish checking Hiro's assignment, while Kakashi made them tea. Hatake would come back anyway.

“Can you heat up the omurice?” Iruka remembered that he had not eaten his dinner yet. Knowing his visitor's hopeless habits, Kakashi probably hadn’t either.

“Maaa, do you have such a low opinion of me?” Iruka decided that no answer would be enough of an answer.

“You _wound_ me.” Kakashi groaned dramatically.

“I simply disapprove of lies.”Umino shrugged his shoulders and heard his visitor exhale a long-suffering sigh.

After a while, the sounds of cupboards being opened, a kettle going on, a refrigerator opening and the like started coming out of the kitchen. Iruka returned to his desk and grabbed the ridiculous homework, the last one for today.

“Don't scald our tea!”

“Roger that!” 

There was silence for a moment, Iruka reached for the pen and twirled it around his fingers, looking for where he finished reading a wonderfully exaggerated story about the origins of Konoha.

"Well, the _kids_ ," Kakashi's voice filtered over the kitchen sounds. Iruka sighed and put the paper back on the pile of those not yet corrected.

“And your future murder, I'm listening. What flowers do you want for the funeral?”

“Iruka-sensei, you shouldn't make fun of the misfortune of others.”

“Kakashi- _sensei_ , no-longer-my children would not plan the murder unprompted, they must have some reason for putting their training in use.”

“... In my defense, let me remind you that I didn't want genin team at all. What kind of tea do you want?” Kakashi offered his not-a-response.

“And I didn't want you to take them on. Come on, Hatake, because the kids will actually kill you before I know the reason. And jasmine, it’s in a gray can.” Iruka listened, amused, as Kakashi was bustling around the kitchen and rummaging through his cupboards.

“I didn't _do_ anything, I don't even _know_ what to do.” Kakashi closed one of the cabinets with more force than Iruka would prefer, so the man entered the kitchen and sat down at the table to keep an eye on his guest. For a moment, he watched Kakashi try to decide which mugs to choose.

“Should I help you make some training plans for them?” He offered magnanimously. His visitor reached for a mug in cute little foxes, stuffed a tea strainer into it, and poured some leaves from the gray can inside. He poured green tea into the pug cup and poured hot water into both.

“Teach me, sensei, I am begging you, because Naruto has a nasty habit of making my life miserable with mischief, Sasuke looks at me as if he did not believe that I am worth a dog biscuit, and Sakura, parroting the Uchiha, does exactly the same.” The last word turned into a dramatic groan. Iruka was unable to stop himself from rolling his eyes again, let alone a smile lifting the corners of his mouth.

"And that's why you’re running rampant in my kitchen, just before midnight?"

“‘Running rampant’” Kakashi tried to sound like a victim of unfounded judgments, but his arm, shoved half-way into the cupboard, spoiled the whole effect. Iruka raised an eyebrow, and Kakashi narrowed his eyes, smiling under the mask. “I'm not "running rampant", I came to visit my favorite teacher and for advice.”

“Ah, great Kakashi The Copy Nin, jōnin and a former anbu comes to the common chūnin for help in teaching his three genin?” This time Iruka did not even try to hide his amusement. Kakashi threatened him with the plate taken from the cupboard, which Umino took from him, and set it on the table in front of himself.

“Ha-ha, please, make fun of the drama of my life all you want, and people say that you are a sweetheart. Not everyone knows how to tame a bunch of rowdy kids …”

“First of all, children are not dogs, you do not tame them, you teach them. Second, _of course_ , I'm a sweetheart… To show you my generosity I’ll give you an advice: getting to know your group and adapting to their needs would be a step in the right direction.” Kakashi froze over the pan where he was heating the rice. Iruka snorted. “Naruto needs attention and positive motivation, Sasuke will need to feel that he can find support in you and in his team, and it would do well for Sakura to have a long conversation about her goals, motivations, and, unfortunately, feelings.” Iruka took pity on Kakashi, who had stopped mixing rice in order to look like a kicked and abandoned in an unknown wasteland puppy.

“Ugh, _emotions_ , how am I supposed to talk to them about it-?”

“Reduce the heat and start whisking the eggs,” Umino cut him off unceremoniously. “If you don't want to touch the subject of teenage crushes so much, ask any kunoichi, even Anko. Contrary to the popular belief, her range of emotions does not stop at the ‘murder’ or ’madness’.”

“Murder is an emotion? Since when?” Kakashi sounded amused.

“You know what I mean,” Iruka waved his hand dismissively. Kakashi obediently reached for the eggs and cracked four into a bowl. Iruka gave him salt and pepper, then put another frying pan on the stove and poured oil in it.

“… And all of this will save my skin or, more importantly, sanity?”

“It will make Sasuke stop looking at you as somebody worth less than a soggy dog biscuit. Naruto may start playing pranks on you not out of frustration, but out of love.” Iruka remembered how, only yesterday, he had to disarm the trap at his own door. After asking Naruto about its goal, the blonde explained that he had missed him, but Iruka was not at home, so he left something that would remind his favorite teacher about him. All because, lead by the unshakeable logic, if Uzumaki himself misses Iruka, Iruka must miss him too. Naruto didn't see him for maybe three days.

“As part of creating and strengthening bonds, take them for ramen.” Kakashi looked at him doubtfully.

“Not everyone will offer you their heart in exchange for ramen," Hatake recalled.

“Nonsense, good ramen will crush even the iciest ones. You'll see that in time no-longer-my kids will like you. They just need to see that _you_ care about the team too.” Kakashi remembered his very first words directed at team seven. He sighed and poured half of the scrambled eggs into the hot frying pan.

“… So I'm supposed to reward good behavior with treats.” Kakashi's answer didn't sound like a question. Iruka stirred the eggs in the pan, slowly realizing that Hatake also had to be slowly and patiently handled.

“You sound like you're talking about training dogs, but yes. More or less. Reward your team when they manage to achieve something. Ramen. Dango. Mochi. Taiyaki. Grill. The reward should depend on how great the achievement is. And _talk_ to them. Ask what they want to achieve. Watch them. They won't tell you about everything, that you should know about.” Kakashi hummed deep in thought. Iruka, in the meantime, tried to convince the semi-liquid omelette in the pan to fold in half.

“Nothing better than a teacher’s advise” Hatake concluded finally, putting rice on one of the plates and passing it to his host.

“We are done? The crisis has been managed?” Iruka stuck out the tip of his tongue, trying to shimmy the omelette onto the offered plate so that it would not fall apart in advance.

“We'll see. If it doesn't work, I will come to file a complaint.”

“So you can stay for dinner again?”

“Can I come over for dinner, with no ulterior motives?”

Iruka pretended to think while Kakashi poured the rest of the eggs from the bowl into the pan.

“You can come over for dinner as a reward. Don't worry, I will know if you are trying to get to know your team. Naruto talks about it non-stop.” Umino laughed, seeing as his guest sagged in defeat.

Kakashi went to the refrigerator for ketchup and placed it on the table. While waiting for Iruka to make the second omelette, he removed the mask from his face and took the strainers with tea leaves out of the cups, and put them in the sink to let them drip off. 

The kitchen got filled with a pleasant silence, broken only by the clink of a plate and a spoon, when Hatake piled it with rice and placed it under the pan so Iruka could once again try not to slide the omelette off it and keep its shape.

“Itadakimasu,” they said in unison and dug into the horribly late dinner.

“Was the bumpy relationship with your team the only motivation to come here?” Iruka, with an amused twinkle in his eye, began to try to ferret out the real reason for the night visit. Kakashi reached for his mug and took a sip, keeping his expression carefully neutral. 

“And dinner was the secondary motivation.” He said seriously.

“Ah, that's all that I am to you? Uncle good advice, and a free buffet?” Iruka feigned indignation, aiming a spoon at Hatake. Kakashi grimaced and scowled over the half-eaten omurice.

“And a good company,” he tried. Iruka kept him on a spoon sight.

“A _great_ company.” He amended.

“Well, thank you for the compliment.” Iruka beamed at him. “Before your next visit, buy two salmon fillets, shimeji and shiitake mushrooms, and chives. And show some humanity by appearing earlier than night.”

“What?” Kakashi stared at him, startled.

“Nothing is for free, you want advice, dinner, and company, then you have to do your part of the job as well.” Iruka winked at him.

The next minutes passed on a casual conversation about everything and nothing in particular, which continued even while washing the dishes. Iruka listened to his visitor feeling sorry for his ninkens, and Kakashi in turn listened with interest and occasional comments about how crazy it could be to teach classes full of rascals training to be ninja.

The flash of admiration in Kakashi's eyes, when Iruka mentioned the more interesting or dangerous adventures of his charges, pleasantly tickled his ego.

When Umino said goodbye to Kakashi, it was approaching two in the morning, but the man wasn’t even irritated by the late hour. Instead, he was curious when the "advice" visits will turn into simple visits for the sake of visiting to be with one another. The kitchen dance they had down to pat already. 

He was betting it would take another month or two and he hoped he was right because Ibiki had staked a large sum for half a year, and Iruka would love to pick it up. It would easily finance some nice trip to an onsen with the star of the bet in question.


End file.
